Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-07-22
NO. 20.
Court-hip in southern italy.


The question is. how does an Italian man
age 90 get married or even TO fall in love
Among the lower classes where every mem
bcr of the household is obliged to do some
thing towards earning a livelihood. the
girls must Of course he allowed 10 go abroad
at times, and the rich have their balls and
the opera where the young Of both sexes
may meet, But the seclusion in which the
young ladies of the middle classes are kept
is almost complete. They are allowed to
sit ON the balcony, and TO go to church in
the company of a ducnna, three or four
times year they are taken out for a drive
and this is almost the only contact with the
outside world that is permitted them. Nor
is it easy for them to obtain by stealth the
forbidden freedom. When the parents 20
out they either set an old woman 10 look
after them, or secrete their hats and boots
and then lock them safely in. Jealous hus-
bands treat their wives in the same way,
though this is considered reprehensible af-
ter the first few years of wedlock. In
word everything is done to exclude both
temptation and romance.
In the larger towns the influence of for
eign manners and the presence Of Northern
visitors are beginning to make themselves
felt In Florence the young ladies' enjoy
a liberty which would have seemed outrage
Gus license TO their grandmothers, and even
IN Naples parental rigOr is slowly relaxing.
1T is in Sicily and the less frequented parts
Of southern italy that the old system is still
in force. though strangely enoupb. even
there there are single towns and districts
in which from time nnmemorial the customs
have been far freer. To these we do not
refer, nor TO such marriages as are simply
arranged by the parents Of the young peo-
pie for worldly reasons. The number of
the latter is smaller i'm Italy than is usually
supposed.
i-pdo,. ,b. r,,,,+ ,l;1;,,,1+ ,.;.,,,,,,..,,,,,,.
love as the olj so,u,, so,.s ,,.Ii gnJ o,,t a
,,ov and bo,o' TO-, 7o s;,al, ;,,t, tLo ,,,o;J
ems cbambar bn,.n,..,. ,orof,,lI,. II r,o,, Lo
gunrled One ri.,bt sbe ,,,,sses.os ,ybicb il
sometimes denial to ,.o,,n,, ,,i,-os +lo nor
feet Freedom of tba Lolconv There sbo
may sit ,,.bnre,,e,. =, sl,oio,,, foTs ,,,o,, IL
ar fba cooIress ~ tba o,.o,i,,,r Las Il,,,o
and tbe ro,,tbs ,.bo Hoss aiat9, tLo straet
cnst ao;ar g,Ioncos in,,,,.ords +o catcb a
,lirnpse of t6a ,,,et,,. faoos ~ Tbo,,
ne ,ro b,,.o so,,, sIo ,,a,. ,,,, a., ,t,,roL ,,,,
der nroner e,na,diansI;,,' o7d Il ;s evtroor.
dinorv yybat lo,,o f,, rsIi.,;a,,s o-arc;sas
some ,.o,,,,, ,,.l,,,,,, ,,II 1i;g,i,,~ ~ tl,;s
uariod of Tfo TIL J., III 80. III. al sho
ron dn Jnt Il l. a,,1,,,,I,
II see,,s tba+ NOT I+olio,,s of +l,is oloss
fall in love nj first si,,It ~. NJ Ieost nv, sight
alone Sudden ,,ossi5,r, ILL., tLot of Ro,i3eo
and T,liat ore tlio ,.,,ls' nth, tLa,, +La ov.
co,,tia,, u, H., I'll, .Il,,i.l, - ,,,
rorsi,. ~, t,.a,,i,. nv, a,,i;,. ~, non
catches n ,,li3,rsa of n ',i,1 ond NJ n'7ce ro.
solves IN mall hon. bis t,ifa ;f II is NJ
church he f,lIoyys La1 home if ON n bol-
conv he notes the borso and Laoins to
haunt tho st,.e+ If j. acno,,taIia ,.r.
bol,s ono Ia, a.. Iii fal If III faot
tL,,.,I, tI,, iii -, II, ,,,,,,,,,,
nant Is ,,,r7aida,ii, A io,.o,. ,,itb God
,.nics and oar. hos ~, i,,,,,o,,so oJ,opto,,a
He sir,-s s,,,t, ,f 1l,. - I' III,
beloyr and If , ,,oico oLo,-a tol,es nm tbe
last note and '.roJ,,oll,. - ~, a,iotIa.
SOM he NAV tal~e beaIt VEbota,,er difli-
cpIties he ns,. La,., r., 'enco,,rte,. m, aver
SION ON tbe ,or+ ~ tl,, aI.ioo+ of bis offec-
tions VIII MOI Io or, ,,C ~, w, ,,rett,,
firto+ions are co,.ried ~, II, This ,,oI tbe
vouner loiv at +i,,.s ,,o,I,in,. arl feasin,,
ber 3J,,ira,. ,,;+L r.,,l,,,,a,,t.. ,,f .a+;r;oa1
,,e,.a anJ a+ ti,,a. faiiiar, ir+o s,,,1atLi,[-
very ike .enti,1ant Lnt tIa,. o.s NOR, fre,
ouent of+ar tbor Is fore tho Ie+rotboI
F1sn tIa not Fo,.C,.,,i i,,,a. bal IN tho
meantime baar eaetins, for some means of
estaLli.bin,, ,,,oro li.e,.+ ;rtoraC,I,se ,,.;tb
tba object of bi. cboioa 10 bas mode in
entries of tba nsis,bL,,.s ~ ~ tbe cbaroctar
af tbe ra,,il,, o,,d t.. iy,,,,st. a,,J anJaa,ors
to Obtain an intrnJnctinm 70 !ona of tbe 81.
derlv ladies who freonent tba house To
her he explains his ,yisbns and HE nosition
in life and he then hacs ber 70 nlsad his
causa If he is or ali,r;lia sI;tor sba is
almost certain -, ,o,,sa7,+ as tLa ,niss;nr is
nm intarastin,r ON, a,,J tIe ,,osit;o,, Is con.
sidared L,',Ii7. bn,,o.ai,ia Cbo i',,o1,.s 10Th
inc, Of on;, Tttle 80 of fa,-oI. tbo Ioy,er
may have racai,.ed so ba,. frst ,,isit ;s 70
tbe conn, lad,, ,,Ro fa;',,s lb,.,,ass and
reluctance ,ylicb il so,,9+irnas tai,es v,,aeLs
to overcome A. Ieost tLa ervn,, is snn-
posed to net Tins in fac+ tbere iS ,,ane,.dI-
tv nerfact nndars+ondiirl- hetyyeen ba,.
and the parepts tbon+b t5a, nratend IN
know notbino, of ,yLotis en-, on Aftor
the maiden los ,,;,.,,, III sLe consiJo,s a
-, ,;,i,,,t - - - Ill